Graduate Programs

About Our Degree Programs

Kent offers a variety of courses within three areas of study in the JMC graduate program. Our programs are: Media Management, Public Relations and Reporting and Editing. The JMC programs are designed to give students a solid background in preparation for a professional or academic career. Courses are dynamic, challenging, and professionally relevant. With small class sizes, students are able to learn from their professors and from the experiences of their fellow classmates; many of who are working media professionals.

As one of two nationally accredited journalism schools in the state of Ohio, Kent provides its students with a strong foundation to achieve their future goals in the rapidly changing media industry.

All degrees and requirements described on this web site are summarized from the official University Graduate Catalog. You may download the Catalog in PDF format for more detailed requirements.

Contact Professor Tim Roberts, Interim Graduate Coordinator, at 330-672-9567, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.

Masters of Arts Programs

• Media Management
• Public Relations
• Reporting and Editing
  • Broadcast
  • Convergence
  • Journalism Educators
  • Magazine
  • Newspaper

Degree Requirements

The master's program requires a minimum of 36 hours (including six hours for the thesis option or 3 hours for the non-thesis options). Students must:

• Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all coursework.
• Choose between three capstone options: writing a thesis, taking a comprehensive examination or preparing a professional project.
• Earn a minimum of 6 hours in Thesis I (one) or a minimum of 3 hours in the non-thesis option.
• Not take more than four hours of workshop credit to count towards the degree.
• Complete at least 50 percent of coursework at the 60000 level
• Up to six hours completed as a non-degree or guest student may count toward the degree.
• Students may be eligible for up to nine hours of transfer credit from another graduate program at KSU after completing a transfer of credit application, which must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator and/or the Graduate Studies Committee.

Admission Requirements

Please see our graduate admission requirements section for application deadlines and other helpful links.

Plus-24

Kent State University offers outstanding students the opportunity to enroll in a Master's program before they complete their undergraduate degrees. When a student is accepted into the Combined Baccalaureate/Master's Program, he/she may apply up to 12 hours of graduate-level coursework toward the completion of the undergraduate degree as well. Find more information about Plus-24.